


All the things we cannot say

by galaxylane



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Feelings Realization, Possible Spoilers, Romance, Season 2 Speculation, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-23 01:36:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13776909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxylane/pseuds/galaxylane
Summary: Rufus calls Wyatt out on his feelings for Lucy, and Wyatt realizes he might finally be ready to talk about more than just possibilities.*Based off the Season 2 promo and minor plot spoilers*





	All the things we cannot say

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all,
> 
> First things first--this fic was inspired by some (minor) plot spoilers for 2x01 and definitely borrows from the season 2 trailer. This is basically how I could see 2x01 going (or, how I'd like it to at least)! This is just a quick one-shot to help ease the wait until March 11th. Hope you enjoy!

In the aftermath of the explosion, he feels relief.

Sharp relief that she hadn't beat them to Mason Industries. That she hadn't been  _inside_.

That relief is quickly replaced with fear when he finds that no one seems to know where she is. Panic when she isn't picking up her phone or responding to texts. They can't seem to find her anywhere, and his stomach twists at the implication.

Lucy is missing.

*

Agent Christopher insists that the bunker is the safest place until the Lifeboat is fixed. On a rational level Wyatt is sure she's right, but he can't stand to be idle. Not when they don't know Lucy's whereabouts. She hasn't answered her phone in days, and he's sure it has to do with Rittenhouse. They blew up Mason Industries with most personnel still inside—he wouldn't put it past them to have abducted Lucy.

When he insists on going to look for her, Agent Christopher is firm in her refusal. He's sure she's appealing to the soldier in him when she points out the risk he would place on the rest of the survivors by exposing their whereabouts.

So he sits tight. Barely. Until Jiya reports that the Mothership has jumped back in time, and he can feel it in his gut that Lucy made that jump with it.

"We don't know that for sure," Agent Christopher points out when he confronts her. "I want to find Lucy just as much as anyone else, but—"

"There's no way they didn't take her with them," he argues, shaking his head emphatically. "No one knows history better than Lucy."

"I understand your concern," she presses on, and he can see the sympathy in her eyes, "but the Lifeboat isn't fully repaired yet, and I'm not willing to risk the safety of the rest of this team by making a jump before we know it's safe."

He opens his mouth to continue the debate when he feels Rufus' hand on his shoulder. The other man gives his head a tiny shake as if to say,  _pick your battles._

Wyatt pulls free from his grasp and walks away from the platform, down the hall to his room. Out of habit, his thumb mechanically types her number into his phone.

_"Hi! You've reached Lucy Preston. Sorry I can't come to the phone, but feel free to leave a message after the beep!"_

He ends the call and sits staring at the grey wall opposite him, contemplating his next move.

*

He breaks after five days.

"I want to steal the Lifeboat," he tells Rufus in hushed tones. "I can't wait any longer. Repairs finished two days ago. We know when and where they are. We don't know what's happening to Lucy. I can make it look like I forced you to go again—"

"No one is going to believe that a second time," Rufus interrupts him. "I don't think they even believed it the first time. Besides, I agree with you," he says, and Wyatt is instantly relieved. "Let's go get Lucy."

They work it out a plan and make their move in the early hours of the morning. When the alarms sound and Wyatt sees Agent Christopher running down the hall with her gun drawn, he half expects her to take the shot. Miraculously she doesn't, her gun lowering just a fraction before the door slides closed and she disappears from his sight. He throws himself into his seat and fastens the harness quickly. He knows they're short on time, a borderline absurd thought to have in a time machine.

"Ready?" Rufus calls over his shoulder, his voice heavy with strain.

"Go," Wyatt urges. He grips the harness and stares at the empty seat across from him.

_We're coming, Lucy._

*

_"Your friends are dead."_

Lucy can't shake the memory of her mother's face when she had told her. Her mouth turned down in a sympathetic frown that had not reached her eyes. She can't forget the feeling of horror she had felt as her mother had assured her it was for the best, like it was nothing but a small roadblock on her way to becoming a part of Rittenhouse. It's the last thing her mother had said to her before Lucy had been whisked to the Mothership with Emma.

Lucy still can't rid herself of the hollow feeling she's been left with, or the deep despair she feels at the thought of her friends. She'd felt like the floor had opened up and swallowed her whole at the news of the explosion at Mason Industries. Of the thought of Agent Christopher leaving her family behind. Of Rufus and Jiya, gone in an instant.

Of  _Wyatt_.

She swallows harshly at the thought of him and tucks the grief away for later. She's not ready to think about him yet and she can't allow herself to fall apart, not here. She shoots a glance at Emma out of the corner of her eye, the other woman talking to a general about the possibility of locating a soldier. Rittenhouse is testing her, she knows this. They've taken everything away from her that they can manage in order to break her, to convince her that they are her best option, her chance for survival. They want her as one of them. They want her to be  _compliant_.

Lucy grits her teeth and racks her brain for her next move.

She isn't going to give them the satisfaction.

*

The problem with time-jumping into World War One is that they could have landed practically on top of  the Mothership, and it still would have been difficult to locate anyone in the chaos.

Wyatt squints at the map in his hands in the dark, attempting to make sense of the lines. Rufus is muttering beside him in the driver's seat of the truck about the treacherous unpaved road ahead. They've been on the move for hours now.

"How do we even know this is going to be the right encampment?" Rufus asks with a frown.

Wyatt rubs his forehead roughly. "We don't. It just seems like the most likely target. It's the closest and has a bigger headquarters than any of the surrounding setups."

They've had to play detective in order to make an educated guess on where exactly they would have gone. Usually they have Lucy to figure out what the most likely target is based on her knowledge of history, and her absence is sorely felt.

"We don't even know  _why_  they came back," Rufus points out. "There could be some vitally important historical person neither of us have heard of at one of the other camps and we would have no idea."

"I know that," Wyatt responds, feeling his irritation grow. He knows it isn't Rufus' fault—they're both under a lot of stress—but he can't stand the thought that he might be making the wrong call and they could miss their opportunity to find Lucy completely.

"I'm just saying, what if Rittenhouse wants us to  _think_  that this is where they're going."

"You don't think I've thought of that?" Wyatt snaps. "You don't think I've gone over that in my head a dozen times since we got here?"

When Rufus shoots him a pointed look Wyatt sighs and sags into the seat. "I'm sorry, Rufus. That wasn't about you."

"Well I know  _that_ ," Rufus mutters under his breath.

Wyatt frowns. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're in love with Lucy, just admit it!"

The words burst forth from Rufus and Wyatt freezes instantly.

"What?"

Rufus has the decency to look a little bit sheepish at his outburst. "Come on man, it's not like everyone doesn't already know. You were  _frantic_  when you realized she was missing. We thought Agent Christopher was going to have to restrain you to keep you from leaving the bunker to go find her. You stole the Lifeboat for a second time just so we could come here in the middle of World War One and look for her."

Wyatt continues to gape at him. "Of course I did," he says slowly. "She's my friend."

It's not the entire truth. He knows that. He fully aware that there's something else between him and Lucy, something intangible that they've never really spoken about beyond a veiled conversation about  _possibilities_. A part of him worries that if he doesn't find her soon, they might never get to explore what those possibilities could be. All he knows that its painful when she goes missing. That his heart speeds up a bit every time she smiles brightly at him or rambles on about her extensive knowledge of history. He knows that he feels an overwhelming sense of relief every time she throws herself into his arms and holds on tight. He knows that he couldn't stop thinking about that kiss for long after he had laughed it off as no big deal. He's well aware that she's gorgeous in a way that's completely distracting. It's not that he doesn't know he has feelings for Lucy beyond just friendship, but he's never had the courage to put a label on it.

Rufus is shaking his head. "Sure, but that wasn't just concern for a friend, that was more like…"

"Like what?" he demands.

"Like…how I'd be if it were Jiya," Rufus says quietly, his shoulder lifting in a half shrug.

Wyatt goes silent for a minute, staring out the window at the dark road ahead in thought.

Eventually Rufus sighs and says apologetically, "Look, I didn't mean to bring it up if you're not ready to talk—"

"Rufus."

"I know, you want me to mind my own business. That's fine—"

"No, Rufus—that's the camp. I can see it up the road."

"Oh."

*

When he finds her Emma is close by her side, following Lucy towards a large canvas tent. He watches from behind an army truck as Lucy turns on her heel and glares at the other woman.

"You don't have to be my shadow," she snaps.

The redhead quirks a brow. "You really think I'm going to trust you to do as you're told?"

"How far am I going to get in the middle of a firefight?" she says bitingly to Emma. "Why don't you go do your job?"

The other woman gives her a long look before smirking and stalking off, leaving Lucy standing by herself. He watches her turn and disappear into the medical tent with his heart in his throat. He gives his surroundings a cursory glance before moving quickly towards the tent and slipping inside. The tent is surprisingly empty, save for Lucy. She hasn't heard him enter, evidently. Her back is to him as she bends over a table, scribbling something frantically onto paper.

"Lucy?" His voice wavers, even to his own ears.

He sees the way she goes rigid before turning slowly to face him. Her eyes go wide at the sight of him, her lips parting in surprise. He watches the emotions pass over her face.

Shock. Confusion. Hope. Relief.

_"You're in love with Lucy, just admit it!"_

It's then he knows. Now he's sure.

He opens his mouth to speak but whatever he's about to say—even he isn't quite sure—is lost when she launches herself into his arms.

"I thought you were dead," she says roughly against his ear, a hitch in her voice that might have been a sob.

He doesn't respond, just nods and holds her tighter. When she presses her chin into his shoulder, he cups the back of her head and buries his face into the crook of her neck, swaying on his feet. Emma could return at any second, but he can't find it in himself to move.

The tent flaps move suddenly behind them and he tenses for a split second before he hears Lucy gasp, "Rufus!"

She slides from his grip and he feels cold air rush to fill the space she left. He turns to watch as she hugs Rufus, laughing happily. Her eyes meet his over Rufus' shoulder and she beams at him. He feels himself smiling broadly in response. When she releases Rufus she takes a step back, studying them both like she still isn't sure they're real. There's so much he wants to say in that moment, but he knows it won't be today, that it's a conversation for when they aren't in the midst of a major world conflict surrounded by Rittenhouse sleeper agents.

"Not that I don't like this reunion, but we should probably get going," Rufus points out.

Lucy shakes her head. "We can't go quite yet."

"You know why Rittenhouse is here," Wyatt guesses.

Lucy nods seriously. "And I know someone who can help us but we need to get to her first. I'll explain everything on the way."

"First things first—I'm going to need a gun," he tells them. He looks back to Lucy, "Unless you happen to have one nearby?"

Lucy shakes her head before exclaiming, "Oh!" She digs around in the pocket of her dress with an excited smile and produces a hand grenade. Rufus stumbles back a step or two and Wyatt barks out a surprised laugh. "But I did steal this!"

Yeah, he definitely loves her.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments, thoughts, kudos, excited squeals about the upcoming season, are all appreciated :)


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